Selective signaling system.



A. 0. REID. SELECTIVE SIGNALING SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1909v 1,069,347. Patented Aug. 5, 1913.

V 11 ab) .Systems, of which the following is UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER C. REID, OF GENOA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS.

IHE HALL SWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SELECTIVE SIGNALING SYSTEM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER C. REID, citizen of the United States, residing at Genoa, in the county of Dekalb and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Selective Signaling a full, clear, concise. and exact description, referenee being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to selective systems, and has for its object the provision of a selective signaling device for a plurality of substations, all of which are united by the same line circuit with the central statior. the apparatus at the central station being designed to selettively operate the substalion apparatus to call any desired station.

I will describe oneembodiment of my invention in c nnection with the a companying drawing. in which l igure 1 represents the, central station apparatus and the apparatus at one substation; and Fig. 2 is a detail view of the central station calling mechanism.

leterring more particularly to Fig. l, I have shown a central station .& and substation B. The apparatus at the central station is designed to send short or long impulses over the line wires 1 and For this purpose. I employ a plurality of wheels, 3. 4, 7, which are provided around the entire periphery with teeth (,3 of uniform cross-section, each wheel also having one elongated tooth T of considerably larger cross-sectional area, which larger tooth cor responds to the station it is desired to call. Thus, I have one wheel for each substation :provided with an angularly displaced large tooth T. The wheels are all mounted on a common shaft and operate synchronously. Each wheel is also provided with a contact spring 9 and a button 10, which button can be so arranged as to remain in a depressed condition unless released by the train despatcher through the agency of the groove 11. For instance, if it is desired to call the station corresponding to the wheel 3, the spring 9, which is adapted to en age the wheel 3, is pressed inwardly, and t e shaft 8 started to rotate.

It will be seen that on account of the teeth 6, short impulses are sent over the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 4, 1909.

Patented A11 5,1913.

Serial No. 493,873.

line wires 1 and 2 during the entire revolution of the wheel 3, excepting when it engages the large tooth 7, when a long impulse is transmitted over said line conductors. These impulses are sent from the batrery 12 through the agency of the relay 13, which may be energized by the battery l-"l through the teeth on the wheels 3, 4. 5 and the corresponding springs 9. The wheels 3, 4, 5 and the springs 9 may be connected in parallel across the battery and the relay 13 so that only one line relay 13 is necessary. Now, as before stated, the larger teeth 7, on the various wheels 3, 4 and 5. are angularly displaced so that these long impulses occur when the selective devices at the substations are in proper position to correspond, so that a long impulse at a particular time from a given wheel will operate the corre spondlng substation signaling apparatus. Thus. when it is desired to call three or tour stations. the springs 9, corresponding to the wheels arranged for said substations, are pressed in 'ardly. and short impulses will be continually sent over the line, except at such times when the long impulses, due to the teeth 7, are transmitted from the wheel I selected. Under these circumstanees only the desired signal will respond becausewhen the long tooth 7 of wheel 3 is in engagement with its spring 9, its corresponding station, say station 3. only will respond because the arm 25 on that station is the only one then making contact at 27, The others have either passed their contact or have not reached it.

The central station also is provided with a telephone system consisting of the re ceiver 15, transmitter 16 and its associate apparatus. Each substation is likewise equipped. The line wires 1 and 2, as stated, lead to the various substations. and the short and long impulses operate a relay i7. which relay 17, when energized. attracts its armature 18, thereby chasing circuit through the relay l9 and the relay )0. The relay 19 is provided with an armature it, and when said relay 19 is energized, it attracts its armature, and upon the revesing movement of said armature, due to the spring 22, the arm 23 rotates the step-laystep element 24 one point. The stepbystep element 24 has a. contact bar 25, adapted to engage the contact points 26 and 27, the substation here shown being connected to the contact point 27. A locking pawl 2b is also provided. Thus a short impulse of the relay 19 will step up the device 2' bringing it into engagement with the contacts under the control of the arm '25. Now, when the step-up element reaches the associated contact 27, and it is desired to call the substation B, the wheel 3, instead of sending a short impulse, is sending a long impulse, which keeps the circuit, through the contact point 27, closed a considerable length of time, thereby actuating the slug gishly moving element 29 through the agency of the relay 30, provided at the same time circuit is maintained through the con tact springs 44. If, for instance, the con tact arm 25 only contacts with the contact point 27 a short period of time, and the circuit through springs 44; is also only momentarily maintained, the relay 30 has its armature attracted momentarily, and the long spring arm 31, while tending to draw the sluggishly moving element 29 downwardly, has not sullicient time to do so to overcome its inertia as the armature is released before that time occurs; but it the relays 30 and 19 are held energized a considerable length of time, the slow moving element 29 finally operates, and its circuitclosing spring 32 engages the spring 33. thereby closing a circuit through the relay 34, which operates the local signal 33. A hand-switch 36 is prt'n'idod, so that the nal operations of the signal may he stopped. The. relay 30 receives its current from the battery 37. and the relay 34 from the bat tery 38. If. however, the element 2t happens to be stopped to engage contact point 27, and the armature of relay 19 does not remain in its attracted position, relay 30 is not energized and its local signal will not respond. Thus, it will be seen that if the contact point 27 merely passed by a short impulse, the substation B is not called, but if a long impulse occurs to maintain the contact with the element 27, and through the springs 41. the said substation B is called.

An induction coil having the primary winding 39 is included with the signal 3.3. the secondary 40 of which is bridged through the interpo ition of a t'untlenupg- 41 to the line cmulnctors 1 and 2 and thereby a return signal is tlil' to the central station. I

the relay 30 is also rompleted through the springs 44. wh ch una ntain this circuit closed a long period ol 1 line when .1 long im pulse is coming orer the line. L

, step-bps? er As before stated, when the relay 19 operates, the relay 20 also operates, and the first impulse of the relay 2) actuatr-s its armature and releases the clock mechanism 45, having the contact arms 46, 46, and which clock mechanism begins to travel contra-clockwise until the lug 47 again engages the arm The clock mechanism, is designed so that the speed rt its rotation is such as to bring the t-o'itatt arm to into engagement with the pin it, after the siepup element 2% has co tttHl its operations, and ii'nmediately upin rh-sing contactwith the pin 49, circuit is clo ed through the battery 37, and the rainy J0. which per mils said relay 50 to actuate its itlliifillllt, and thereby to release the arms 23 and 28, so that the step-up elencnt can return to its normal position. In the meantime, the rotation of the clock mechazr in i is continued past the contacthunting position. when it is again held through the agency of the lug 47.

'hile I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention, T do not: wish to limit myself to the precise construction and arrangement as herein set forth. but

Having thus set forth its most salient teatnres, what T claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. selective signaling system omprising a central station and a plurality of substations. a stepby-step selector at each substation, a signal under the control f said selector. a sluggishly moving Qirrnitrlosing element interposed between said step-bystep elcnnnt and said signal, adapted to place said signal in operative condition when said tepbv-step element remains in a circuit closing position a longer period of time than is required to ellect an operative nioyenuuit of said selector, a relay for operating said ti-p-by-st't-p selector, and switching means operating conjointly with each operation of said relay in c rcuit with the circuit-(losing portion of said step-bystep element.

2. A. selective signaling system comprising a central station and a plurality of substati ns, a, strp-by-stcp selector at ea h substation. calling devices at the ct-n ra stati n. an automatic release mcchani in f r (ac'n selector. a local *al adapted to operate independently of s id selector after being placed in operatincondition hierchy, means for sending a re urn indicm tion to the central s ation fr m said operzitillQ; signal. and instrumematitles tor stopping the operative actuation of said mean indcpendintly of sai signal. a hen the lector is restored to no mal.

3. signaling system having a central step-by step select r at earl: sobstatrn u signal under the control thereof, means controlled at the'central station for selecting any desired signal for operation through the agency of said step-by-step apparatus, a return signal device associated with each signal and adapted for operation conjointly with the operations of said signal, and automatic means for lnterrupting the return sig- I nal indications irrespective of the operating signal. 10

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 5th day of March A. D., 1909.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Goinmissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

